Dear Colleagues:

As I start my first week at USG as executive director – with the chance to work with outstanding new colleagues and to impact students working hard to better their own lives and the community and world in which we live – I begin with a range of emotions.

Mostly, I feel… Excited. Honored. Privileged.

Privileged to join an educational community that is uniquely positioned at this unprecedented time to positively transform a rapidly changing world. The energy and talents of the extraordinarily diverse graduates who emerge with career-launching degrees from our nine university partners will be part of the solutions.

I pursued the opportunity to serve in this role because I love everything that the USG mission stands for: access and affordability in higher education, equity, inclusion, innovation, partnership. I also have to admit that as a longtime Montgomery County resident, where my husband and I have been proud to raise our children (our two, now adult daughters, that is), the chance to directly serve the community in which we live is an absolute bonus.

Over the past few weeks since my appointment was announced and as I was wrapping up my duties at Virginia Tech after 17 wonderful years, I’ve heard from so many folks within the USG community who reached out with warm, welcoming and encouraging well wishes. I appreciate all of them so much and I am truly looking forward to getting to know and working collaboratively with all of you.

If these were “normal” times, I would be looking forward to the chance to meet as many of you as possible, in person, on our beautiful campus. But rest assured, for those of you who I may not be able to see in person for some time, as most of you are continuing to work or teach remotely, I look forward to our upcoming, virtual interactions.

I look forward to working together with all of you to define and discover the next chapter for USG, building on the incredible legacy of its first two decades under the able and visionary leadership of Dr. Stewart Edelstein. I would be remiss if I did not sincerely thank Stew and the USG leadership team, the Board of Advisors, University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay Perman and leadership across the USM, and so many others for all of the gracious support they have provided as I begin this transition.

There is no question that these are very challenging times for USG, for USM and our partner universities, for our county and state, and for our nation and our world.

We are in a severe budget crisis, not entirely caused by, but certainly exacerbated by the economic impact of a global pandemic. We find ourselves navigating unthinkable health and safety challenges, and hardships associated with the Covid-19 outbreak. We are in the midst of a long overdue, but much-needed awakening to the painful realities of the systemic racism that has plagued our nation for centuries. And given all of these colliding events, we are just weeks away from a national election that may well be the most consequential one in our recent history.

Any one of these challenges would be daunting on their own. But combined, together, they speak to just how important it will be for all of us to reimagine, redefine and roll up our sleeves to determine just how we will all need to conduct our lives and our livelihoods in a post-2020 world.

This is especially true for us as educators – as those who are entrusted with shaping the next generation of leaders, health care workers, first responders, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, business professionals, public servants, and yes, the educators of the future.

There are many problems to be solved, but what is exciting for us is that we are part of the solution. Maybe the most important part.

So let’s get started. I am excited. I hope you are too!